Monti speaks out on foreign policy failure over Iraq

In an interview with Italian paper Corriere della Sera, Monti said differences over Iraq bolster the case for developing a fully-fledged common foreign and security policy.

If the EU had been able to act decisively under such a policy “what took place would not have taken place”, he claimed.

“That is, eight Community member states, whose number subsequently increased when future members joined, taking a position not based on the promptings of the Commission, nor of the Council, nor the European Parliament, but on those of a newspaper not even belonging to the European Union – The Wall Street Journal.”

The Italian was taking a swipe at the decision of those countries, including the UK, Spain and Poland, to pledge in the paper their support for the US stance over Iraq.